


Steady Spontaneity

by demonkidpliz



Series: Mahabharata Modern AU [4]
Category: Mahabharata - Vyasa, महाभारत | Mahabharat (TV 2013)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24983227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonkidpliz/pseuds/demonkidpliz
Summary: When Yudhishthir proposes a holiday, Panchali knows she can count on him to be predictably boring.
Relationships: Draupadi/Yudhisthira (Mahabharata)
Series: Mahabharata Modern AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808305
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Steady Spontaneity

“Hi, Panchali. What would you like today?”

Panchali frowned momentarily at the plastic menu card in her hand. “Spicy pumpkin latte, medium. How does that sound?”

Satyaki nodded, diligently making note of it on his pad. He turned to leave for the counter.

“Hello?” Sahadev called out.

“What?” came the impatient reply.

“Aren’t you going to ask what I want?” said Sahadev incredulously.

“What do you want?” said Satyaki, now positively snappish.

“Woah! You could ask nicely like you asked Panchali.”

“I like Panchali,” Satyaki pointed out, “She doesn’t ask for credit coffee. Anyway, what do you want?” he repeated.

“Iced mochaccino, large. And I’m not carrying a penny so put it on my tab,” said Sahadev cheerfully.

Yudi sighed, “Coffee’s on me, little brother. Satyaki, please get him whatever he wants.”

“Ji, Bade Bhaiya. Anything for you?”

Yudi shook his head. As Satyaki turned to leave, he turned to look at his girlfriend. Girlfriend? Was that what Panchali was? Girlfriend felt like such a frivolous term to encapsulate what she meant to him. “Why did you call me, Panchali? Anything the matter?”

“First of all, thank you, Sahadev, for joining us,” said Panchali, looking pointedly at the younger Pandav. Sahadev flashed her his cutest grin. “I was wondering if you were free next weekend to go shopping. I mean I understand if you have to work…”

“No. That’s alright,” said Yudi quickly. “But why me? Can’t you take one of the girls?”

“Hidimba is away visiting her parents. Subhadra hasn’t slept in three days because her art submissions are next week. Oh and Rukmini has three term papers due and is having morning sickness 24x7 so yeah, she is not in a position to go anywhere,” said Panchali, ticking the names off her fingers, “Diwali is coming up and I wanted to get some things for the house. Not to mention there’s Bhai Dooj so I have to buy stuff for Shikhandi Bhaiya, Dhri and Ashwa.”

“Okay,” said Yudi slowly, “Actually I was thinking we could go somewhere for the weekend. I have a lot of paid leave lined up and my firm insists I avail of it before it expires. We could all go somewhere nearby.”

The waiter arrived with the drinks and Panchali and Sahadev began helping themselves.

“You want us to all go?” said Sahadev, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, sure,” said Yudi, running a hand through his wavy hair, “I’m sure Ma will like the break. Hidimba and Kach are not here so Bhim can come. Nakul and you. Arjun, if he gets leave. In fact, I was thinking of asking Shikhandi and Dhri to accompany Panchali as well.”

Sahadev snorted into his coffee, “How very  _ Hum Saath Saath Hai _ of you, Bade Bhaiya.”

“What?” said Yudi defensively.

“You should just go with Panchali! Why tag us all along?”

“Considering you didn’t let us have coffee alone, Sahadev…,” said Draupadi smiling.

“That’s settled then,” said Sahadev, all businesslike. “The two of you are going on that trip, and that’s final.”

Yudi nodded and Panchali resumed drinking her coffee.

…

“Why won’t you tell me where we’re going?” asked Panchali, trying to control her hair that was whipping around mercilessly in the wind.

“It’s a surprise,” Yudi shrugged, “Is the wind bothering you? Should I roll up the windows?”

Panchali nodded. Yudi rolled up the windows and put on the stereo. Jagjit Singh’s dulcet tones wafted through the sound system.

“Jagjit Singh? Really?” said Panchali, raising her eyebrows.

“You don’t like it? I think Nakul has a CD of Yo Yo Honey Singh stashed somewhere in the dashboard…”

“No, no, Jagjit Singh is just fine. It’s very you…” she said endearingly.

Her phone buzzed. She picked it up and saw a new message.

_ Have fun on your trip ;) _

“Who is it?” asked Yudi, changing gears and picking up speed on the highway.

“Krishna,” she replied, “You still haven’t told me where we are going.”

“There’s a beach nearby, a couple of hundred kilometres west. Nice resorts by the sea,” said Yudi.

“Can we go paragliding?” Panchali piped up.

“No we cannot,” said Yudi. He put on his shades and began humming quietly to himself to the song on the stereo.”

Panchali quickly texted Krishna back:  _ Don’t know about the fun part. Don’t forget who I’m going with. _

A few minutes passed and her phone buzzed again.

_ Don’t worry! I’m sure Bade Bhaiya has something up his sleeve ;) _

…

Yudi’s car pulled up at the resort driveway. Panchali stepped out, stretching herself. Both of them made their way to the reception.

“How can I help you, sir?”

“We would like two rooms, please.”

Panchali yanked him out of the receptionist’s earshot. “Why do you want two rooms?”

“Panchali…” Yudi was about to launch into a sermon.

“We would like one room, please,” said Panchali, smiling at the receptionist.

“Two single beds or one double bed, ma’am?”

“One double bed.”

“Panchali!” said Yudi shocked, “No, we would like two single beds please.”

The receptionist hovered between the two, looking uncertainly at both of them.

“Two single beds,” said Yudi firmly.

Once they reached their hotel room, Panchali flopped down on her lonely single bed and yawned, “I didn’t realise how tired I was. I’m going to take a nap.”

Yudi smiled, “I’m going to take a shower and wash off that road trip.”

By the time Yudi came out of the bathroom, Panchali was fast asleep, snoring softly. He smiled, as he wiped off the remnant droplets off his shoulders and began towelling his hair. Panchali stirred in her sleep and her eyes flickered open. She saw Yudi facing the mirror, his head covered by a towel, a few rivulets of bath water running down his sculpted back into the crevice between his back and his shorts that hung low and loose on his hips.

“You’re awake?” said Yudi, turning around, “Freshen up and we can go downstairs.”

…

“What are we doing here?”

Yudi frowned at the question. “We are having coffee,” he said waving at the general surroundings of the hotel coffee shop.

“Yes, but why? We have coffee all the time at home,” Panchali said.

“What would you like to do?” asked Yudi smiling.

“I don’t know! We’re at the beach. We don’t have to go paragliding, but we could go for a swim or a walk down the seaside,” said Panchali, somewhat crossly.

“I am amenable to a walk,” Yudi nodded. He drained his cup and got up to leave.

Panchali sighed and followed him.

At the beach, Panchali divested herself of her flipflops and convinced Yudi to do the same.

“But what if they get stolen?”

“No one will want to steal your sad flipflops!”

The two of them began to walk down the stretch of sand privately owned by the resort at which they were currently putting up. They walked side by side, a comfortable half foot distance between them. Panchali clutched the side of her skirt to prevent it from blowing in the wind and watched with an affectionate smile as the salty sea breeze played havoc with Yudi’s usually obedient albeit slightly long hair.

She felt so happy, and at peace. She felt contented at how well Yudi and she fit. They were an amiable couple, not over the top. So what if they didn’t paraglide or share beds or hold hands during long, romantic walks on the beach. She could imagine walking by his side for the rest of her life and not tiring of it.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t realise that she had walked ahead a few steps leaving Yudi behind.

“Panchali!” he called out. 

Panchali stopped in her tracks and turned around. Yudi was fumbling with a string that was surreptitiously tied around his sleeve. Something in the string caught the sun’s rays and glinted brightly.

“What is that?” she asked confused, her eyes growing wider as Yudi knelt down on one knee in front of her.

“Panchali…”

“Oh my God, Yudi, what are you doing?”

“I was going to wait until dinner, but this seems like a good as time as any. Panchali, will you do me the honour of being my wife?”

Panchali stared at the sizeable solitaire gleaming back at her. “Yudi, please get up. People are looking at us!”

“Is that a yes or a no?” asked Yudi, confused.

“Of course it’s a yes, silly! Now get up, people are laughing!”

Yudi got up and placed the ring on her finger before raising her hand to his lips.

Panchali gave him a quick kiss before pulling him into a hug.

“Are you happy?” he asked, his nose buried in her long, open hair.

“Yes!” she laughed despite the tears of happiness creeping into her eyes, “A thousand times, yes!”

_ The end _


End file.
